Christian Living
By Charlie Kincaid
The Acts 1:8 Challenge is a program being initiated through the Southern Baptist churches in Tennessee. It basically commands the members of the church to take up the cause Jesus spoke of in Acts 1:8, and to go testify in his name thorughout all Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world.
The church associates the places spoken of by Christ, in the Middle East, to areas relevant to us here in America. Jerusalem is your local city, Judea is your state, and Samaria is your nation. The uttermost parts of the world would be, of course, foreign countries.
God calls all of us to be a witness, and to do missions work. That doesn't mean we're all called to fly overseas and work in a Third World country. It doesn't even mean we're all called to travel to the opposite coast to do missions. There are plenty of lost souls right there in your neighborhood that are going to die and go to Hell without the word of Jesus in their hearts. Is your neighbor saved? What about the family across the street? What about your co-worker? You have an obligation to testify to these people, and to offer them the same chance some loving Christian offered you when you accepted salvation.
Witnessing and testifying isn't always easy. Sometimes, the person to whom you are witnessing will be receptive, and you may plant the seeds that produce a flower of salvation. Other times, you may be ridiculed, berated, made fun of, mocked, laughed at, or otherwise persecuted. Don't give up immediately. It may be that the person simply needs a little more encouragement than others. After a reasonable amount of time, though, some people still won't be won. Not every soul will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Don't spend your entire life working on a choice few individuals. Eternity is forever. Your time on earth is short. You've got one shot to save the lost souls. Make that one shot count.
I'm reminded of a story told by the great pastor Tom McCoy, of Thompson Station, Tennessee. This is a true story:
A colonel in Desert Storm (the first Gulf War) was sent to oversee a base of operations to rid Kuwait of Saddam Hussein. He had been there for about a week when he received a fax from the military brass in the United States, telling him of a serious problem. It seems that somewhere between Virginia and Kuwait, 300 cases of grape jelly had been lost. The colonel was ordered to find it.
Of course, the colonel felt he had more important things to do in his life than hunt grape jelly, but he sent a clerk around the camp to look for it, and thought nothing more of the matter.
About two days later, he received another fax, marked urgent, that said the 300 cases still weren't accounted for, and the accounting department of his military branch couldn't close their books for the fiscal year without accounting for the grape jelly. Again, the colonel, now squarely in the middle of a war, wasn't concerned with the jelly. He sent two clerks to hunt it, but didn't bother to spend a lot of time dwelling on it.
A week later, another fax came, marked extremely urgent. This time, the colonel had had enough. He sent a fax of his own, asking his superiors what he was supposed to do.
"You want me to find the 300 cases of grape jelly, and you want me to kick Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. Now, I can do both, but I can't do both at the same time. Which one would you rather I did first?"
Brethren, this is a great lesson for all of us. Are you going to go chasing grape jelly, or are you going to kick Satan out of your communities and bring Jesus in? It's your choice.
Have you ever thought that the world wouldn't have so many problems if more people had the word of God in their hearts? If more people knew that Jesus loved them, do you think they would still commit the sins and crimes they do in today's world? I think not.
But how will they know the word of God, if we don't share it with them, and if they aren't offered a church with a pastor to listen to? That brings me to another point.
Going to church every time the doors open, giving your 10% tithe and whatever your love offering is, and praying unceasingly isn't going to win souls. The ministry isn't in the church, but out in the world. The church should be viewed as a pit stop where you get a new set of tires, a fresh tank of gasoline and good pep talk from the crew chief. The church should be like the kitchen at Grandma's house, where you go eat milk and cookies and hear words of wisdom and get so loaded on sugar and love that you can go several days before your next visit to see Grandma.
Don't think that you have to fly to Mexico, or Africa to do missions work. You don't even have to fly to California. Start with the next door neighbor and work your way up and down the block. Then take the next street and keep going. Remember, there are more lost souls in the world than saved ones. When your tires are worn out, and your gas hand is on E, just make pit stop at your local house of worship. There will surely be a pit crew waiting with open arms.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 770 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by charlie kincaid or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 770 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.